In the 1940's, Raytheon Corporation conducted extensive research and experimentation on a new device called a magnetron for use in radar applications. The magnetron produced microwaves. Research has resulted in the development of magnetrons which generate and systems to contain the microwave energy for industrial and domestic use.
After nearly 70 years of research, development and experimentation, microwaves are used in numerous industrial, drying, cooking, communication and sintering processes. Microwaves, however, are not appropriate or the best practice in every application. There is, however, a resurgence of microwave, photon and directed-energy research underway discovering an extensive amount of new material processing methodologies.